More specifically, the invention relates to a fan assembly of the type comprising: a fixed support structure, including an outer frame and an inner member connected to the frame by a plurality of spokes or the like; an electric motor, particularly a brushless D.C. motor, including a stator fixed to the inner member, a rotor, and a controller having components in a thermal exchange relationship with an essentially plate-like heat sink which extends transversely with respect to the axis of the motor at one end of the stator; and a fan, fixed to the rotor of the motor at the other end of the stator and having a hollow hub from which a plurality of blades extend; the hub having a front wall intended to be struck by the air flow caused by the fan, and a lateral skirt which surrounds the motor defining an annular space with respect thereto; a plurality of inlet openings being provided in the front wall of the hub to allow air to flow through the annular space, and over the motor and the heat sink.
A fan assembly of this type is described in US patent application publication no. US2014/0064941 (A1).